One clan to rule the forest
by Christmas Cheer
Summary: PoppyClan has taken over LeafClan grounds, driving them out of the forest forever- At the cost of their own leader, Poppystar. Blackstar struggles to fulfill his duties as the new leader, the tragedy of losing his beloved friend weighing heavily upon his shoulders with the rest of his duties. Will war spark between the new clans? Who will be the one clan to rule the forest?
1. Chapter 1

Allegiances

Poppyclan

Leader: Blackstar- A large, long haired black tom with bright yellow eyes, with a deep scar across his left hind leg.

Deputy: Frostfang- A small white and grey she cat, with long fangs.

Medicine cat: Crowcall- An unusually small deep grey tom, with pale blue eyes.

Warriors:

Foxclaw- A reddish orange tom with a white underbelly. Apprentice- Cloudpaw

Silverflash- A swift silver tabby she-cat with hazel eyes. Apprentice- Thornpaw

Mudsplash- An energetic dark brown tom with blue eyes. Apprentice- Thrushpaw

Sandpelt- A short, sandy-colored she-cat with deep green eyes. Apprentice- Volepaw

Eagletalon- A brown tabby tom with white paws and tail tip.

Apprentices:

Cloudpaw- A small light gray she-cat with light blue eyes.

Thornpaw- A large, young brown tom with pointed ears.

Thrushpaw- A light orange-brown tom with a light tawny underbelly.

Volepaw- A dark solid brown tom with long whiskers.

Oakclan

Leader: Sparrowstar: A small light brown she cat with a white underbelly and paws.

Deputy: Speckledfur- A pale brown she cat with darker flecks along her back and sides.

Medicine cat: Burntleaf- A tortoiseshell she-cat with deep green eyes.

Warriors:

Firestrike- A bright orange tabby tom with a single white paw. Apprentice- Falconpaw

Iceclaw- A white tom with pale blue eyes. Apprentice- Birchpaw

Runningstream- A deep grey-blue chartreux with yellow eyes.

Apprentices:

Falconpaw- A stony grey tom with yellow eyes and a white underbelly.

Birchpaw- A pale yellow-grey she cat dappled with spots of black.

Marshclan

Leader: Duskstar- A deep grey tom with blue eyes.

Deputy: Rabbitheart- A small grey-brown tom with a small white patch on his chest.

Medicine cat: Yellowleaf- A large yellow tom with deep green eyes.

Warriors:

Spiderstalk- A small black tom with beady brown eyes. Apprentice- Stormpaw

Quietsnow- A silent white she cat.

Mothflight- A thin tan and white she cat.

Apprentices

Stormpaw- A deep grey tabby she cat.

The golden sun lay just above the horizon, casting an orange glow onto the many oaks surrounding the clearing. The wind blew only gently, barely swaying their golden autumn leaves. All was silent, it seemed. Peaceful.

A shrill feline call rang out across the once silent clearing.

"LeafClan, attack!"

In a heartbeat, all peace and silence had gone. Deafeningly loud yowls and caterwauls filled the air, blurs of color hurtling themselves across the clearing and crashing into each other like madmen, hooked claws tearing at fur and flesh, leaving bloody stains on their opponent's once clean fur. Some lashed out at eyes with their outstretched forepaw, others bowled their opponents over with ease, slamming them down on the earth and tearing viciously at their soft bellies. Fur flew in every direction, littering the air and falling gently upon the ground, only to be flung up or trampled upon by a dueling set of paws.

A limp orange carcass was flung aside from the battle, tossed away as if it had been trash. Deep red blood covered it's face, dripping down and staining the green grass.

"Poppystar!" A pained yowl rang out from a black tom, drowned out by the sounds of the clashing felines, which he proceeded to throw himself through. He was soon intercepted by a swift grey feline, whom bowled him onto his side and pinned him there.

"Going somewhere, Blackfang?" The cat sneered, in a most unpleasant tone. She lashed her claws across the tom's face, leaving four red lines where there was once fur.

Blackfang's matted tail lashed with fury, his ungroomed fur standing on end. "You're dead, Silverwing." The tom hissed lowly, lips curled back to reveal his long fangs. His yellow eyes flashed, and in a swift movement, he had thrown the she cat off of him, buying himself enough time to leap up.

Silverwing bared her sharp white teeth at the tom, still laying upon the ground. Her sleek tail slammed the ground. She let out a mirthless chuckle. "What're you going to do now that you precious leader is-"

The tom cut her off with a sharp hiss, leaping up swiftly and sailing down upon his silver foe. His hooked claws sunk deep into her flesh, holding her pinned to the ground. He did not hesitate. His paw struck out at her left eye, which she could not close in time to block the blow. It sank into her eyeball, and she let out a loud cry of pain. He swiftly dragged his paw along her face, tearing the eye in half and leaving claws marks running down her face.

"I'm not dying without a fight!" The silver feline yowled in pain, her lithe hindlegs battering the tom's belly. But alas, the tom's black fur was too thick for her puny claws to penetrate.

"Say goodbye, kittypet," Blackfang snarled, bringing his teeth clamping down on the opponent's muzzle. His fangs became stained with red as they sunk into her flesh, filling her nostrils with blood. His opponent the out a choke, paws flailing wildly in an attempt to break free from the tom's firm grasp, but failed to remove the tom from her body. She slowly went limp as the tom choked her, unable to get the necessary oxygen to flow into her body.

He leaped back into battle with his clanmates, ready to serve his clan and fight the enemy. The shrill wails of the felines raged into the night, before slowly dying down as LeafClan's numbers dwindled.

"That's the last of your clan, Swiftstar," Blackfang snarled, emerging from his clan's side with fangs bared. His eyes flashed with fury at the three LeafClan members remaining. "I suggest you take your leave, and leave your territory to us. You are a disgrace to the new clans. We will soon take your kits, queen, and medicine cat as our own. all who refuse our command shall die at our bloody paws."

A white tom stepped out of the clearing, his pelt stained heavily with crimson blood. "You will regret this, Blackfang." He snarled, ice blue eyes narrowing at the black tom as he cast a fiery gaze at him. "LeafClan shall rise again. It may not be for 12 moons, or the next 12 moons, but mark my words, Bla-"

"Get out," Blackfang snarled, his tail lashing wildly back and forth like never before. "Or I'll kill you myself."

Swiftstar let out a sharp hiss, his own sleek tail lashing sideways. He retreated a few steps, cast one last hateful glance at Blackfang, and signaled for his few warriors to retreat. They took after him, dissapearing into the shadows of the oaks. Blackfang remained there for a second among the bloodstained battlefield, fur beginning to flatten along his spine as he cooled down. He turned to his warriors, the turned to the lifeless carcass of Poppystar, their first clan leader.

"Oh, Poppystar..." He tom whimpered, burying his face in her soft orange fur. "You led us so well."

The warriors began to surround him, huddling next to Blackfang and pressing their noses into Poppystar's soft, bloody fur. The moon was now at it's highest point, casting a soft silver glow over the mournful felines.

Blackfang was to become leader tomorrow, and yet somehow, he was not at all happy about it. The death of Poppystar weighed heavily upon him, as he had known her since they were both mere kittens. He somehow felt that he could never live up to her legacy, felt that he would never lead the clan as well as she had. He let out a soft sigh of pain, and threw her limp body over his back.

"We'll bury her at sunrise tomorrow," Blackfang announced, trying to sound official and calm as he possibly could. "After her burial, I shall immediately take off to the Moon Point to receive my nine lives, if StarClan approves. I will announce my deputy as soon as the moon reaches it's highest point in the sky." With a flick of his tail, he headed towards the clear grass fields, motioning for his warriors to follow. They were soon surrounded by red flowers with black centers, the lovely smell of their home easing them somewhat. The placed her body at the entrance of the camp, and soon began to explain the events of the battle to the clan mates who had remained at camp.

"That's terrible!" A golden queen mewed softly, wrapping her tail tightly around her three kits.

"She served us well," came a raspy voice from not far outside the elders' den.

Blackfang explained his plan for tomorrow once more, and dismissed the clan quietly. They slunk back into their dens- burrows, hardly noticeable, among the grassy field of the camp. He sighed, laying down with his head placed upon Poppystar's carcass and forcing himself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Hi people! I'm looking for new characters to join this story, just some minor characters to put in the background. (I'm also looking for a major side character.) Please Rate and review!_

The sun peeked just over the horizon, casting it's light once more upon the clearing. The warriors of PoppyClan sat in a broken circle around the previous leader's dead body, some sharing tongues with each other while waiting for the arrival of their leader. A small dark grey feline streaked across the clearing, and disappeared underneath a pointed stone.

"Blackfang," He whispered softly, prodding the mangy black tom's belly with a paw. "Blackfang, wake up. The burial is starting."

Blackfang's eyes slowly began to open, flashing in the darkness of the cave. He stretched out his forelegs, and shook some dirt out of his tangled fur. He looked somewhat like a small dog.

"Look at you," The grey tom gave a bit of a chuckle, licking the tom's shoulder. "Do you ever clean yourself?"

"Don' see the point," He grumbled lowly, stretching his spine into an arch. "I's jus' gonna get filthy 'gain."

The tom sighed, beginning to groom some of Blackfang's matted fur. "You really should. Come one, everyone is waiting on you to start the ceremony." He nudged the tom's shoulder gently, pushing him out the burrow.

"Thank you, Crowcall," Blackfang cleared out his throat, striding over to the circle of cats with Crowcall alongside him. He sat placed in the center with Poppystar, placing a paw on her cold body. He took a deep breath, and began the ceremony.

"We have come to this clearing to honor the life of our dear Poppystar, who has served this clan for many moons. She is the last of the first leaders to die, and will be honored through our clans for her cunning, bravery and loyalty throughout eternity. May StarClan light the way into SilverPelt, where she may hunt and watch over us as a part of StarClan. Her last battle was certainly the clan's greatest,-" Murmurs of agreement rose throughout the circle. "-And I shall trust the elders and the elders after them to pass on it's legacy." He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before continuing.  
"Does anyone wish to share some final words about our departed leader?"

No one stepped forward.

"...Very well," The tom sighed, rising to his feet. He nudged the ginger cat's body gently into the burrow, and nodded over to Crowcall, who quickly padded over and began to bury the body.

"I have traveling herbs left for you just outside my den," Crowcall said, flicking his tail in the direction of a small bump in the ground. "Look for the green , leafy bundle of herbs."

Blackfang dipped his head solemnly, and trotted through the circle of cats, who quickly skirted away to let him through. His eyes fell upon the green bundle, and he belt down to pick it up in his jaws. His nose crinkled at the bitter taste of the traveling herbs, but he quickly gulped them down, coughing and spitting afterwards. Shaking his head vigorously, he turned to face Crowcall, motioning for him to follow.

"Come now," Blackfang called out, leaping further out of the clearing. "We need to get there swiftly."

"I'm coming!" Crowcall yelled, sprinting over to the deputy's side.

They trotted along the vast, red-filled clearing hastily, the bright red poppies soon becoming scarcer and scarcer as they made their way north. The sun shone brightly upon them now, they had passed the bloodstained battlefield and made their way along the Oakclan border. They explained themselves with haste as warriors interrupted them.

They now stood face to face with a steep hill which ended in a high cliff, the moon lying just above the treetops.

"This is it." Blackfang sighed quietly, indicating Crowcall to stay at the bottom of the hill. He slowly climbed to the top, the soft wind blowing his matted fur. There he sat, perched high above the earth, the moonlight shining silver against his black pelt, silhouetting his bulky frame. And then... Nothing. What was wrong? Was he not worthy enough to become leader? He waited there for what seemed like forever. But something felt wrong...

A strong gale whipped up, almost knocking him off of his perch. his claws dug into the ground in a struggle to hold on, tail flapping sideways like a flag in a storm. He squinted, eyes narrowing. His vision blurred, and slowly, starlit shapes formed around him, silver wisps of cats' bodies surrounding him. He was locked to the spot, unable to move. A jolt of searing pain shot through his body, and dizziness filled his mind, making him groggy.

A faint voice carried down to him, it's tone gentle and sweet. "Blackfang, you have encountered much in your old life, and I congratulate you for making it this far."

"Poppystar...?" He wheezed, voice struggling to escape his lungs.

"We have taken way your old life from your body, in order to grant you with nine," Poppystar continued, her blurry form appearing in front of him. She touched her nose to Blackfang's forehead, sending a rush of relaxation through his body, his vision clearing slightly. "With this life, I give you understanding. Use this to help your clanmates in times of hardship and struggle."

She dissolved into the silvery river of the other Starclan cats, and a new leader took her place. He looked quite old, and yet, still looked like he was a great warrior.

"I am Firestar, once leader of the ancient Thunderclan." He purred, touching his nose to the new leader's forehead as Poppystar had. He felt a wave of strength rush through him. "With this life, I give you determination. Use it when all seems lost, when you feel like you want to give up."

His vision was clearer now, close to what it had been before. He could now see the silvery shape of a large tom, whose face looked like it had been torn and horribly mangled by a badger. He knew him all to well.

"Don't say anything. I know you miss me." The large tom gave a deep, grumbling purr, touching his nose to his son's forehead. He felt he could no longer stand, his legs failing to support his weight. "With this life, I give you confidence. Use this to see your clan to victory, no matter the odds. And," He paused for a moment. "Take care of your brother."

"I will," Blackfang called as he disappeared into the silver river, wanting to take a few steps forward to follow him. But he was still locked on spot, unable to move.

He continued to receive the rest of his lives and their gifts, hope, love, wisdom, faith, compassion, and morality. Slowly the silver river faded away, his vision clearer than before. He felt a sudden dizzy spell, and looked up to the moon, which was now nearly at it's highest point. "By Starclan!" He shrieked, panic overtaking him. He felt a sudden dizzy spell again, and blacked out, only to be re awoken in his clan camp. He groggily got to his feet, stumbling back and forth. The sun was rising, the sky painted with violet.

"You were lucky," Crowcall purred, brushing against the black tom. "Blackstar. Starclan has given you another day."

"Oh!" Blackstar gasped, eyes darting around the camp. Some stared at him with concern. Others carried about their daily lives, aware of what had happened. He cleared his throat, sitting down and observing the others.

"You may discuss it in the leader's den with me, if you'd like." Crowcall chirped, hopping over to his burrow in the small hill, flicking his sleek tail for him to follow.

"Yeah, that'd be great." He murmured, following him into the dingy burrow. The scents of many herbs assaulted his nostrils, causing it to scrunch up again.

"You know, if you're going to chose a deputy, you might as well look presentable while doing it." Crowcall mumbled, looking at the tom's tangled web of fur in disgust. He began to vigorously groom the tangles out of it, rough pink tongue cleaning out the dirt.

"I just don't know who to pick.," Blackstar sighed, staring at the ground."Foxclaw seems-"

"Foxclaw will betray you with the first chance he gets!" Crowcall hissed sharply, pausing his grooming and cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Well, who do _you_ think I should pick?" Blackstar snarled, but quickly calmed himself down, quieting his growl.

"Frostfang." He began to groom his black fur again, which was beginning to become sleek like his own. "There's a warrior who cares about true loyalty. It is your choice, though, not mine."

"I'll take your word for it." The tom purred, beginning to groom his paw. "Thank you, Crowcall."

The gray tom nodded, curling up beside him. "Frostfang will be pleased. She always wanted to be a great deputy." He purred, stretching out his forelegs.

"I'll do the ceremony when the sun sets," Blackstar yawned, curling up beside the medicine cat. The smell of herbs had dulled in his nostrils, not as strong now that he had gotten used to it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. He wouldn't be as good as Poppystar- Never as good as her, but decent, maybe. Maybe he'd get used to it.


End file.
